POL200Y1 Chapter 13: Machiavelli, The Prince, Chapters 15-18
Chapters 6, 15, 21 most important
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Most of book has been leading up to this
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Book goes well beyond Lorenzo - writing for anyone who can
understand him
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Christianity and orders of ancient writers
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'Depart from order of others' --> maybe Machiavelli regards himself
as a new founder, breaking old orders
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Departure - second dedicatory
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Actual truth about world as opposed to metaphysical thoughts about
the soul (Christianity) --> this is world, learning truth behind lies
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Useful truth - help you acquire / maintain self, knowledge of affects,
what will result from actions
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Changes what the ends of political life are
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Most powerful truth : know how to manipulate, if truth gets results,
then knowledge is for sake of power (typically, power is means,
knowledge is end --> flipped)
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Effectual truth --> break from old order
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No ought
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Scientific
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Realism
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Modes/orders --> changes, Christianity --> people are flexible
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This is how politics is, just observation
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Is his ought traditional? --> think morality is okay, but useless?
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Sighing : wishes world was different, but it is not, stuck with how it is
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What is done / what should be done
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Manipulate appearance of old virtue, while using new
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Virtue is cunning / prudence
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Can't fake prudence / wisdom / intelligence --> need it to fake all the
other virtues --> knowledge for the sake of power
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Virtues - held good - not actually good, list is mixed
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Why write like this? Reputation? Avoid censorship? Make allies? Weed
out unintelligent?
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Conclusion : tension between goal and what is necessary to achieve goal
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Chapter 15
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Be generous if you get a good reputation for it --> need to take, become
rapacious, hated
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Be miserly : give to no one, no one expects from you
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Ex : Cesare would have to become rapacious
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Generosity : if it helps you get to power, then stop
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Alex, Cyrus, Caesar, become loved by people
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Be generous if you can take form others - don't care about your enemies
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Chapter 16 - on liberality / generosity
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Mercy / piety comes from same Latin word
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Instead of effectual cruelty, useless cruelty
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Error of Florentine - showed mercy, cruelty was worse
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Avoid hatred, avoid contemptable - can't stand up
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Fear v. Love - better fear/love, best both
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Chapter 17 - mercy / cruelty
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Tutorial 2.5
7-Feb-17
11:00 AM
TUTORIAL Page 91
Document Summary
Most of book has been leading up to this. Book goes well beyond lorenzo - writing for anyone who can understand him. "depart from order of others" --> maybe machiavelli regards himself as a new founder, breaking old orders. Actual truth about world as opposed to metaphysical thoughts about the soul (christianity) --> this is world, learning truth behind lies. Useful truth - help you acquire / maintain self, knowledge of affects, what will result from actions. Most powerful truth : know how to manipulate, if truth gets results, then knowledge is for sake of power (typically, power is means, knowledge is end --> flipped) Changes what the ends of political life are. What is done / what should be done. Modes/orders --> changes, christianity --> people are flexible. Sighing : wishes world was different, but it is not, stuck with how it is. Virtues - held good - not actually good, list is mixed.
